The invention relates to improvements in or relating to ratchet devices and is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with a two-speed ratchet winch suitable for use in a boat.
Two-speed winches for boats are known which include a drum rotatably mounted on a normally fixed member. The drum is normally rotated by a removable handle so that rotation of the handle in one direction will rotate the drum through a ratchet in that direction, and rotation of the handle in the opposite direction will continue to rotate the drum in the first direction through reduction gearing in the winch. In this manner, the drum can be rotated in the first direction so as to wind in a rope until the torque required to turn the drum becomes too high. The direction of rotation of the handle can then be reversed to enable winding to be continued through the reduction gearing so that a greater mechanical advantage can be obtained.
One of the problems in operating such winches is that the operator can only drive the drum through the reduction gearing by rotating the handle in a full circular motion. Frequently the load on the winch makes it difficult to turn the handle through a full circle, particularly where the handle is in a difficult position relatively to the user. In order to overcome this problem, handles incorporating ratchets have been proposed so that the handle can be moved to-and-fro when winding the winch in low gear, alternate strokes of the handle imparting movement to the drum. However, such handles are heavy, cumbersome, expensive and require a device which must be manipulated to make the ratchet operate in the correct sense. An object of the invention is to provide an improved form of ratchet device.